'Octomom' files for bankruptcy in California

Reuters

LOS ANGELES, California - The California mother of octuplets, dubbed "Octomom," filed for bankruptcy on Monday, after previously admitting she was on public assistance to support herself and her 14 children.

Nadya Suleman, 36, gave birth to eight babies as a single mother in 2009. But goodwill turned to anger in the media after it was revealed Suleman had undergone fertility treatments when she already had six children, and questions were raised about her ability to provide for her family.

Her children became only the second set of octuplets known to have survived birth in the United States.

Suleman, who lives in the Southern California suburban community of La Habra, has less than $50,000 in assets and owes between $500,000 and $1 million, according to legal papers submitted to US Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California and posted at entertainment website E! Online.

Suleman told ABC News last week that she had received $4,000 to $5,000 a month in public assistance.